The Devil’s Cupcakes

This was an outside contender for our table of wedding cakes, but it scored so highly on first tasting that it is now a fully-confirmed member. Try it and see why for yourself.

These cupcakes are so called because they are wickedly decadent. This recipe is adapted from another that called for buttermilk and vegetable oil, two things I did not have to hand when I first made them. I found this combination of yoghurt, milk and melted butter worked a treat. Note that you can exclude the coffee if you are sensitive to caffeine, but you really can’t taste it in the finished cake. Honestly.

What you need

¾ cup + 2 tbsp plain flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking power

½ tsp salt

¼ cup milk

¼ cup natural yoghurt

¼ cup melted butter

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup good quality coffee, freshly brewed

80g good quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place cupcake cases into a 12 cake cupcake tray.

Combine the dry ingredients in a deep mixing bowl, sieving the flour and cocoa in.

Add the wet ingredients one at a time, leaving out the coffee. Beat with a handheld mixer to combine. The mixture should be shiny and smooth as the ingredients are combined.

Add the coffee and the chocolate chunks and beat briefly again to combine. The mixture should be fairly runny in consistency.

Using a soup ladle or an ice cream scoop, divide the mixture between cupcake cases. Beware, however, that these cakes tend to rise a lot during baking, so only fill them just over half way.